Recovery on Rucker: Recovery from Substance use Disorder

Jack interviews Jen Cunningham about her 10-year recovery journey—from court-ordered treatment to years of sustained recovery, education, and parenting. She credits peer support, recovery housing, and the Recovery Cafe for helping her rebuild her life.
Now a juvenile probation counselor and board member of the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition, Jen advocates for youth services, housing, and stigma reduction, and stresses the power of empathy and lived experience in shaping better policy and community support.
 
Resources: 
Snohomish County Recovery Coalition: snocorecovers.org
Everett Recovery Café: everettrecoverycafe.org
 

Host Summer sits down with Erin Stewart, who celebrates eight years clean and works in recovery case management. Erin shares her personal journey and how recovery became a multi-faceted lifestyle.
They explore practical tools beyond meetings—spirituality, yoga, self-care—and the importance of community, especially the support of other women. Erin also discusses teaching codependency and how staying connected can prevent relapse.
Erin offers straightforward advice like "it's okay to be selfish" in recovery, and reflects on growth, goals, and finding stability while helping others heal. 
 
Resources: 
Snohomish County Recovery Coalition: snocorecovers.org
Everett Recovery Café: everettrecoverycafe.org

On this episode E.V. Velez sits down with coalition board member Summer to discuss her experience with clinical burnout while working in residential treatment during COVID, the moment she realized she needed help, and the slow path back through therapy and medical care.
They explore how systems rely on overburdened leaders, the importance of community-based supports like recovery cafes and local nonprofits, and practical ways to prevent and recover from burnout while staying connected to recovery work.
This conversation highlights the power of community, low-barrier resources, and creating sustainable systems that protect both people in recovery and those who serve them. 
Resources: 
Snohomish County Recovery Coalition: snocorecovers.org
Everett Recovery Café: everettrecoverycafe.org
Center for Human Services: chs-nw.org

In this episode, host Eric Velez sits down with Summer Roemer, Board Secretary for the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition (SCRC), interim director for North Sound Recovery, and former assistant program manager at the Snohomish County Diversion Center. Summer reflects on her journey with SCRC since the very beginning and shares what keeps her deeply bonded to human services: a radical belief in people, their capacity to heal, and the truth that our pasts never dictate our futures.
Deeply self-reflective, Summer encourages others to always continue learning, evaluate their own impact, and strive to be an active part of the solution. She pulls back the curtain on the critical need for "well-done services," speaking openly about the systemic trauma caused when individuals are made to feel like they "don't measure up" to rigid, abstinence-only standards.
Drawing from her deep experience, Summer highlights how this harmful culture shows up across the board—from individuals being ostracized in 12-step meetings and told to leave after a relapse, to professional agencies falling into the exact same trap of pushing people out when they struggle to stop using.
To combat this, Summer operates with a simple, powerful question for the individuals she serves: "How can I be a human to you?" She breaks down why we must build comprehensive community support, champion multiple paths to recovery—including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)—and cultivate spaces that genuinely care about everybody.
 
Resources: 
Snohomish County Recovery Coalition: snocorecovers.org
Everett Recovery Café: everettrecoverycafe.org
Center for Human Services: chs-nw.org

In this episode, April interviews Cathy Asada, Substance Use Dependence Department Director at Center for Human Services. Cathy shares about about the agency's history, recovery spaces, and serving thousands of participants each month.
Cathy shares a powerful anonymous success story of a young person who overcame opioid use disorder, pursued certification to help others, and remains in active recovery. She also discusses the role of lived experience, maintaining professional boundaries, and the importance of community partnerships in supporting recovery.
Resources mentioned include:
www.chs-nw.org
www.everettrecoverycafe.org
and www.snocorecovers.org
Tune in for practical insights on local recovery services, reducing stigma, and paths to healing.

April interviews Cathy Asada, Substance Use Department Director at Center for Human Services, about the agency’s trauma-informed, person-centered approach to substance use and mental health treatment. They discuss outpatient and intensive outpatient (IOP) care, ASAM-guided placement, Wraparound/WISE family services, peer support, harm reduction (naloxone and supplies), and community-based intensive services.
Listeners learn how to access care — same/next-day assessments in Shoreline and Everett, walk-in screenings, and help with housing, transportation, and bilingual family support — and are encouraged to call screening at 206-362-7282 to get started. This episode is for people in recovery, their supporters, and anyone seeking to understand local recovery resources.

Hosts Jack and EV have a candid conversation about gratitude in recovery, drawing on EV's 10-year journey from heroin addiction to purposeful work in the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition. They reflect on rebuilding relationships, accepting praise, and the power of community support.
The episode explores practical recovery tools—gratitude practices, peer support, and cognitive reframing—while confronting guilt, loss, and the desire to make amends. The core message: there is a way back and it’s worth the work.
For help or more information visit:
www.snocorecovers.org 
www.everecoverycafe.org 

In this episode, Bo Baker shares his journey from growing up in Granite Falls and using meth from a very young age to years of homelessness, repeated treatment attempts, and finally recovery with the support of his partner. Bo describes the slow process of detox, the challenges of staying sober, and how rebuilding his life — including pursuing a plumbing journeyman license and dental reconstruction — gives him hope to help others.
Resources: 
www.snocorecovers.org
www.everettrecoverycafe.org
 

In this episode April speaks with Louella Baker about her recovery journey, internship with the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition, and work as a substance use counselor at Therapeutic Health Services. They discuss methadone treatment, the challenges of the fentanyl crisis, addressing trauma, the role of MAT, and reducing stigma around recovery.
For resources and support visit:
www.snocorecovers.org 
www.everettrecoverycafe.org

In this episode hosts Jack and April reconnect in Everett to explore how people find joy in recovery — from the early "pink cloud" and the power of laughter to rediscovering hobbies like music, dancing, roller skating, crafting, and open mic nights. They highlight community events (including the upcoming Inclusion Infusion), local resources, and practical steps to get involved and rebuild a life with meaning.
Resources:
www.snocorecovers.org 
www.everecoverycafe.org